I lost my shop knife while we were unpacking at Handworks this spring, and I have been on a quest since then to find its replacement. (The company that made my now-lost knife no longer exists.)

I am dang picky about knives. I’ve carried one every day since elementary school. So it is no small thing when I say this: I am glad I lost my favorite knife at Handworks because now I have a Kershaw Link drop-point knife in gray aluminum blackwash.

Here’s what I need in a knife:

• One-handed operation – I need to be able to quickly close and open the knife with zero fuss.
• The blade has to lock in the open position for safety.
• It has to be lightweight and compact.
• It has to have a belt clip.
• All the components need to be incredibly rugged. I hate flimsy knives.
• Oh, I also dislike flashy materials or things that look like a Klingon’s wet dream.

That is a tall order, and I rejected a lot of knives until I found the Kershaw Link. What makes the knife even more extraordinary is it is made in the U.S. and can be found for about $40 retail. (I bought mine on sale for $31.)

The blade is stainless steel, but it takes a good edge and is plenty durable when cutting wood, wire and whatever shop material is asking for a stabbing or a slashing. Totally recommended.

— Christopher Schwarz, editor, Lost Art Press
Personal site: christophermschwarz.com

P.S. This is not a sponsored post. We don’t believe in that crap and buy all our products at  retail.

Friday morning was the first day of fall and, boy, did it feel like it. The characteristic crisp nip in the air, the breeze, and even geese migrating overhead: All of it was right on cue. John had to head back to Vermont and Mike went to the Common Ground Fair with his family so Luke, Isaac, Matt, and I attached the roof sheathing to the rafters. We spent all day nailing these gorgeous 200-year-old hemlock boards in place. Because they had already cut, fit, and labeled the boards before bringing them up, the process went smoothly.

The patina in these boards is sacred to this crew. Because they’ve worked so hard to de-nail, power wash, repair, straighten edges, and lay these boards out they are very careful not to scratch the beautiful interior show surfaces. They explained that their process involves standing all the boards in a circle to organize them by color and select them for optimal placement on the roof system. They do their very best to hide all shadow lines from their original rafters. For this project, the crew was pleased to find they were able to hide all but a few of the faintest shadows on a few boards. (In case you haven’t noticed yet, this is not regular carpentry, this is more akin to art.) Just before dark last night, the last bit of tar paper was laid over the sheathing and the crew left for dinner.

They’re coming back this morning to tidy the site and load their trailers for the drive home. Although I am so happy that the frame is now up, I’m sad to see this week end. We’ve gotten so close with everyone on this crew and will miss their company. I’m usually such an independent person that hiring someone else to do something I think I might be able to pull off on my own has felt strange. On this side of the raising, though, I know that there is no way on earth I could have done anything close to what these guys have done. I’ve learned so much this week working alongside them and in our discussions about the next steps of the project.

Thank you, Luke, Matt, Isaac, and John for your hard work this week as well as during the weeks leading up to this raising. This frame is not a play house. It’s not a silly “man cave” or pool house that we feel indifferent about. This building is the future of our business, the new home of Mortise & Tenon Magazine. All our articles will be written and edited here, our videos will be filmed here, and our workshops will happen here. Many years of hand tool woodworking will take place within these walls, guys. Thank you for the care you’ve taken with this restoration. Your conscientious workmanship honors the craftsmen who built it over 200 years ago. We hope M&T’s use of it will continue to honor the work of their and your hands.

- Joshua

I was recently asked to be Godfather to my youngest niece. This is quite the honor, especially in my Italian-American family. This notion has much less to do with religion and much more to do with influence in my family. You see, this pretty much gives me full license to spout off on a myriad of topics for the rest of my niece’s life. She won’t always be obligated to […]

The post From Pinterest to Real Life – A Custom Necklace Stand appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Drivel Starved Nation-

Here’s your second clue to the thing that will make Bridge City the laughing stock of the internet…

If you guessed bent stainless steel wire you are correct! The longer version is about 90mm in length.

-John

The post Clue # 2 for New Bridge City Thingamajig…. appeared first on John's Blog.

We have lots going on at the storefront now, so if you wanted to pick a good weekend for a visit, Oct. 14 would be ideal. Here’s a short list of stuff to see:

1. I’m building my reproduction of the Saalburg workbench right now. It should be complete (or nearly complete). Come check out the workholding and let us know what you think about our experimental archaeology project.
2. I’m also making a crazy dugout chair – a style of chair that was popular in the British Isles in the 18th and 19th centuries (and maybe earlier). It should also be complete by then and will have some unusual details involving roadkill.
3. We’ll have copies of the deluxe “Roubo on Furniture Making” and will be supplying commemorative bibs to keep your drool off them (just kidding about the bibs). If you want to see a book that exceeds all our others, this is your chance.
4. Demolition has begun on the “Horse Garage” behind the storefront, which will become the machine room for my shop. Come see barren walls and debris!
5. We’ll have a large load of Crucible dividers that are seconds. The have tiny cosmetic flaws and are $90 cash. And Raney has threatened to hang out and show off our next tool from Crucible.
6. Finally, as always, we’re happy to answer questions about tools or techniques – or even give you a sharpening lesson.

Our storefront is at 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every second Saturday of the month.

— Christopher Schwarz, editor, Lost Art Press
Personal site: christophermschwarz.com

Today I got smart and worked on this dugout chair before I took a shower – genius. Also, I found an easier way to remove the inner bark – with a chisel. Last night after dinner I went out to look at what one blog commenter has called “about the ugliest thing in woodworking history” and decided to see how easy it would be to chisel the inner bark away […]

The post Dugout Chair Part 8, The Inner Bark appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

From “A New Library of Poetry and Song,” by William Cullen Bryant, The Baker Taylor Co., 1903

“Young people are often amazed at the tenacity with which older folk cling to their old furniture. They will take it with them from one house to another; usually to smaller houses, to bungalows or to a room ·or two as the family grows up and goes away and old age and infirmity increases.· With each move the furniture grows more unsuited to its surroundings, too big and clumsy by far, and the young people think how odd to prefer these things to the modern stuff so much more suited to their surroundings. Then the young ones go off, themselves acquire homes and start along the same well-worn path. And the old folk, left alone with the familiar things, find something in them far more precious than anyone could know; memories of children and friends, of old joys and sorrows, every line and scar with a story behind it, every fine polished surface the record of their own youthful vigour. For Time, the artist, is at work again, and this is perhaps his last, best gift to them.”

— Charles Hayward, The Woodworker magazine, 1936

While I was occupied with the Roubo bench slab in the center hall of the barn John was a dozen feet away in the classroom tinkering with the Winterthur ripple molding cutter.  When we gathered earlier as a group we identified a number of modifications that might serve to transform it into a reliable, precision machine.  I ordered all the materials and supplies we thought we needed for this undertaking so everything was ready to go for John to dive in to making these modifications a reality.

As a moment of review, the ripple molding machine is simply a contoured scraper being drawn across a length of wood, with either the scraper or the workpiece being undulated by some sort of linear pattern.  In short, a ripple molding is the result of controlled chatter.

In the case of this machine it is the cutter that remains fixed relative to the length of the frame, but which undulates up-and-down via a horizontal “follower” rod affixed to the cutterhead frame, pressing down on the pattern running the length of the machine frame.  We found in our earlier efforts that either the pattern or the follower ere being degraded and even destroyed by the very process of creating the moldings.

I do not know how this problem was dealt with historically, but for our applications we decided to replace the extant follower rod with a new rod and tiny roller bearings to instead ride along the pattern, transferring the up-and-down impulse without friction to the cutterhead.  John spent extensive time retrofitting the cutterhead to accommodate this modification without damaging or changing irrevocably the machine as it was presented to me.

After installing the new follower system John reported to me with a grand smile that it as a perfect solution to the problem, and would guide our design considerations as we move forward with new machines in both our futures.

You may look at the photos and say wow dude that looks like crap. Sure does and intentionally.  I purposefully made some gaps in these dovetails as an experiment to see if Hot Hide Glue would fill up the gaps.

I filled the gaps with saw dust first and then covered the surface with the glue.  It took somewhere between 30-60 mins before the glue hardened.  I know from experience with liquid hide that it should remain gummy for a couple of day if left on the surface, I think the urea has something to with the slow curing but I’m not entirely sure.  However, this isn’t the case with HHG and I actually didn’t know that before.

The glue has been hardening for about 5 hours now and I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow to see how it’s going.  So I’ve done the finger nail test and pressed into the gap. Sure enough it’s rock solid.

I know it’s appalling and none of us ever wants our dovetails to turn out like this, but it is nice to know that on the off chance we make a small blunder and have a small gap nothing as big as this I hope, that if packed with a little bit of saw dust covered with HHG that it will work.  I also sanded most of the glue away and the glue is still holding the dust as it seeped through the gaps and solidified the dust.

Well another effective examination wrapped up, another myth demystified and something new learned.

Don’t miss tonight’s airing of “The Canopy Kings” TV show pilot featuring “The Perfect Treehouse” author Django Kroner and his crew of treehouse builders. Django’s treehouses are amazing and the book he created with us is filled with great advice for building your own treehouse (whether it’s a backyard build for the kids or a weekend getaway in the woods). Make sure to check out “The Canopy Kings” on Animal Planet […]

The post Book Giveaway: Canopy Kings Treehouse Book appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Yesterday we completed the frame. Matt suspended the ridge into place while Luke, John, and Isaac began assembling the round cedar rafters from one gable end. Luke said the first pair of rafters is the hardest, especially when they have diagonal braces and a collar tie to be installed along with them. After that gable end was secured, though, the rest popped into place without issue. As they worked through down the ridge, the manual lift help stabilize it and hold it at the optimum height (decreasing as they went along). This careful and methodical process was really impressive to watch. The whole process took several hours of careful adjustments and minor paring of the tails that were a hair too wide for their pockets.

By midafternoon the last gable was installed. We drove pegs into all the joinery and then the crew made tiny adjustments before heading out while Mike and I began preparations for the evening’s feast. At 6:00, the crew returned for the ceremonial tacking of the evergreen bough onto the ridge. Thus began the feasting.

We had a lovely candlelit dinner inside the frame, watching an incredible sunset over our pond. The frame was illuminated pink and purple from the awesome display. As the sun faded for the day, we sat down for a lasagna dinner and had a wonderful evening of fellowship with them and their partners. The night involved Dave Brubeck, children reciting Shakespeare, and many laughs around the table. As everyone packed up to drive home for the night, I felt like pinching myself. I am so grateful for this crew (my new friends) and the frame that they’ve restored for us. Luke, Matt, Isaac, and John are not only exceptional craftsmen but they are incredible people to spend time with. Mike and I are left inspired by the experience.

Today, Luke, Isaac, Matt, and I will be nailing the old sheathing onto the roof and laying tar paper. At that point, their job is all done and they will head back to Vermont. Mike and I will take it from there.

- Joshua

Precious.

Driveled Starved Nation!

Over the past several months I have alluded to a project I began on my work retreat last February. Today is September 21st and it is finished! I’ve been playing with the last physical prototype for about 3 weeks and I am pleased to share that we are going into our pre-production routine next week which includes sourcing and pricing. The pre-order window is still several weeks away.

Before I share our first clue, I am admitting that this project very well may make us the laughing stock of the internet–maybe you too. And if so, I could care less, this thing is so MUCH FUN! Actually, it is so much fun I will give you TWO clues today (isn’t that nice?), one a word and the other an image:

1) “Gesture”

2) Here is a little sub-assembly to keep your brain occupied until the next clue;

See the little red aluminum part? It is 47mm long. And the threaded shaft that is driving it is M6x1.0, Left-hand threads too. From those clues, you can size the rest of the assembly. (We have converted completely to metric here, so don’t read anything into this other than the Imperial measuring system is SO inefficient.)

The subassembly pictured also contains the following (not all are visible);
2 steel washers
1 retaining ring
1 spring washer
1 nylon washer
1 set screw

My only response to your comments will come from this short list;

warm
cold
really warm
moronic
What meds you on?
bingo!
nice try.
Who gave you insider information?

I haven’t decided what the prize is going to be for guessing this invention… maybe a copy of the letter from my patent lawyer questioning my sensibilities…

-John

The post New Tool Coming from Bridge City! Here’s Clue #1… appeared first on John's Blog.

A modern favorite. Block planes get a bad rap from the hand-tool purists, but they are the proletariat’s favorite plane. They are simple to set up and use. And they are inexpensive.

This is an excerpt from “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” by Christopher Schwarz.

You can build furniture without a block plane. But why should you? The block plane is one of the greatest hand-tool inventions of the Industrial Revolution, in my opinion. With a block plane and a little skill you can accomplish almost any task. These tools trim end grain, face grain and whatever else you ask of them – and they do it even if the iron is a mite dull (thanks to their lower pitch). They are the most flexible plane ever manufactured. You can change the pitch of the tool with great ease and close or open the mouth with no special tools. And they are simple to set up.

Woodworking purists scoff at the tool, but I think that this is only because it doesn’t fit into their narrow tool list. If block planes had been invented in the 18th century, you can dang well bet that every re-enactor would be spouting off about how the block plane was the savior of the age.

In fact, I have to say that the block plane is one of my favorite planes because it was the first hand tool I ever used with great success.

When making my very first piece of handmade furniture, a sitting bench, I realized that I needed a way to trim the bench’s front and back pieces to the seat of the bench. I didn’t have an electric sander – much to my chagrin – so I decided to go to Walmart and buy a block plane. I don’t know where I got this idea; probably from my grandfather.

They had one block plane. It was a “Popular Mechanics” brand and was cheap and blue. I bought it, took it home and put it to work. It was not sharp. I did not sharpen it. It cut the pine surprisingly well. I can remember being amazed at the curly shavings that emerged from the mouth. I knew at that moment how powerful hand tools could be, even if wielded by a moron.

If you look at the history of block planes, you should be prepared for some enormous diversity and confusion. It seems that toolmakers made more kinds of block planes than any other kind of tool. I’m going to try to boil down the major features here for you, but be aware that I cannot cover every kind of block plane ever made.

Low Angle or Standard?
Block planes come in two flavors: low-angle or standard-angle. Low-angle tools have the iron bedded on a ramp that is 12° off of the sole. Standard planes have a 20° bed. Low-angle planes make it easier to achieve lower planing angles, which are nice for end grain. Standard-angle planes make it easier to achieve higher planing angles, which are nice for reducing tear-out.

The reason I always use a low-angle block plane is two-fold.

1. The lower angle makes for a more compact tool that fits better in my hand. Your mileage may vary here.

2. With the low-angle plane you have a wider variety of planing angles available to you. You can achieve angles as low as 37°. Standard-angle planes can only go as low as 45°, if you want the edge to last more than a few strokes. Both planes can achieve high-planing angles. So the low-angle tools are more versatile.

So I see no reason to even own a standard-angle block plane. And I don’t.

Adjustable Mouth or Not?
Low-rent block planes generally have a fixed mouth, though there are some nice small block planes with fixed mouths. I prefer an adjustable mouth. Why? When I am using a block plane to true end grain, I don’t want the leading corner of the work diving into the mouth aperture. When I work in tricky grain, I will use every weapon available to me to attempt to reduce tearing – including an adjustable mouth.

And when I need to hog off material, I simply open the mouth as wide as it will go. Easy. If you have only one block plane, I recommend a low-angle tool with an adjustable mouth.

Lateral Adjustment or Not?
All block planes have lateral adjustment – you can tap the blade left or right to tweak the position of the cutting edge in the mouth. The question here is whether you need a lateral-adjustment mechanism, which can be as simple as a plate that shifts left or right to move the blade left or right, all the way up to a Norris-style adjuster that will control both the depth of cut and the lateral adjustment.

I find that all lateral-adjustment mechanisms that are supplied on a plane generally offer only coarse adjustments. The fine adjustments come from tapping the plane’s iron with a hammer. So to me, it doesn’t really matter if the plane offers some sort of formal lateral-adjustment mechanism. That’s because of the way I adjust a block plane:

• Sight down the sole and extend the iron until it appears as a black line against the shiny sole.

• Use your fingers to shift the iron left or right until the black line protrudes consistently from the mouth.

• Retract the iron to take up the screw-feed mechanism’s backlash. Then extend the iron a bit and use a small hammer to tap the iron left or right into its final position.

So do what you want to here. You don’t have to have a lateral-adjust mechanism. But it won’t hurt your efforts either.

— Meghan Bates